Currently, satellites for various purposes, such as military satellites, communication satellites, scientific satellites, observation satellites and navigation satellites, are orbiting the earth. When the satellites fail and become non-functional or end their duty and reach the end of their service life, the satellites are often left in orbit as they are and become space debris. Also, wreckage of a rocket or the like used for launching a satellite or the like is also left in orbit as space debris. Currently, several thousand pieces of space debris or more are in orbit and a phase of self-reproduction in which the number of pieces is increased by natural collisions has started. In order to stop the self-reproduction of the space debris, at least about 5 pieces of space debris need to be removed yearly. Space debris is attracted by terrestrial gravitation, and falls and disappears eventually, however, a gravity fall requires many years and it is not efficient. So, a method for positively removing space debris is already proposed (for instance, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
In a space debris removing method described in Patent Document 1, a pressure receiving device for receiving a fine amount of atmosphere and solar light radiation pressure is configured by a circular or polygonal film material, and by attaching the pressure receiving device to space debris already orbiting in space or a spacecraft to be launched hereafter through a string, an important orbit is protected by a fall to the ground or orbit change of the space debris or the spacecraft after use. For attachment of the pressure receiving device, a method of driving a harpoon or a method of attaching the pressure receiving device by a robot arm is used.
In a space debris removing method described in Patent Document 2, a tether device for space debris orbit conversion including a conductive tether which is attached to space debris such as a broken satellite or satellite wreckage or the like and obtains force of changing the orbit of the space debris by electromagnetic interaction with a geomagnetic field is used, the tether device for the space debris orbit conversion includes a capture mechanism capable of gripping a structural part of the space debris and a tether mechanism connected to the capture mechanism and extensibly holding the tether, and after gripping the space debris by the capture mechanism, the tether is extended by the tether mechanism, the robot arm is detached, and the tether device for the space debris orbit conversion is dumped integrally with the space debris.